Brunch at Urban Village Brewing in Northern Liberties

Urban Village Brewing Companyopened over the summer to much fanfare. The former King’s Oak spot had been vacant for quite some time. A brewpub is exactly what this corner of The Schmidt’s Commons in Northern Liberties needed and seems to be well-received.

Urban Village Brewing [Credit: David Johnson]

They recently launched a modest brunch menu to draw in the weekend hair of the dog’ers and day drinking crowd.

Urban Village Brewing Inside Bar [Credit: David Johnson]

It is absolutely stunning inside. The spacious open dining room with large, concrete bar in the center allows a view of both the kitchen and brewing operations from virtually any vantage point. Decor is rustic and warm with lots of reclaimed wood on the walls and tables. Large, floor to ceiling windows allow plenty of natural light to filter in.

Urban Village Brewing Inside Looking Outside [Credit: David Johnson]

There’s plenty of communal outdoor seating accessible from folding glass doors that fully open up and effortlessly connect the inside and outside.

Urban Village Brewing Brunch Drinks [Credit: Marilyn Johnson]

I started brunch off with a cocktail called the “Boiler” made from local products – Lansdale’s Boardroom Spirits vodka, Phoenixville’s Baba’s Brew peach-sage kombucha and lime juice. Hubby tried the C.P.A. pale ale. Both were delightful.

Urban Village Brewing Pizza and Beer [Credit: David Johnson]

After hearing people rave about their amazing pizza, made with dough that is naturally fermented for 3 days, hubby was keen to try it. He’s a big fan of regular margarita pizzas so he wanted to try the “Rita” pizza but had a special request — he asked for fennel sausage on top. Luckily, they were happy to oblige.

{Note: they also offer two brunch pizza options — The “Val” pizza comes with scrambled eggs, Canadian bacon, tomato, and hollandaise and the “Raven” pizza comes with baked eggs, green onion, and house kimchi.}

Everything about this pizza is spot-on and totally lives up to the hype. The dough is crispy, yet a little chewy. It holds up very well with the savory-sweet housemade tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and torn fresh basil. The addition of the fennel sausage chunks did not weight it down at all. It was a symphony of flavors in the mouth. He was one happy pizza lover and remarked that it was definitely one of his favorites in recent times.

Urban Village Brewing Brunch Sandwich [Credit: Marilyn Johnson]

I thoroughly enjoyed the Brunch Sandwich and opted for the house-cured salmon as my protein with two over-easy eggs and sharp cheddar made on a fresh-from-the-oven, house-baked kaiser roll. It may sound like a weird combo — cured salmon, eggs, and cheese — but it was remarkable. One of the best breakfast sandwiches I’ve had in a long time, to be honest. It’s an extra large sandwich, too. You’re not going to be hungry after eating this especially since it also comes with two crispy, housemade hash browns! All in all, very satisfying and I would definitely eat it again.

Rounding out the brunch menu is creamed chip beef with housemade pastrami, salmon lox on a housemade bagel, and for sweet lovers French toast with brioche, whipped ricotta, seasonal fruit preserve, and maple syrup. It’s a light brunch menu, but there’s something for everybody especially since their full menu of pizza, small plates, salads, and sandwiches are also available.

If you’re looking for a new brunch spot, check out Urban Village located at 1001 N. 2nd Street in Northern Liberties. Brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday from 11AM to 3PM. Tell them Philly Grub sent ya!

Special thanks to Food Shelter PR for arranging our visit and to Urban Village for their wonderful hospitality. As always, our opinions are our own and unbiased.